This week's Someone 2 Know moved from Winnemucca to Reno decades ago to attend the university.
There, Sherii Paparich-Hess got her degree in business management. Then, after her daughter was born, decided to make a career change to early childhood development.
As the franchise owner of Gymboree Play & Music, her days are filled with newborns, toddlers and preschoolers - and she says she wouldn't have it any other way.
We got a chance to join a class at their location near the corner of Longley and South McCarran in Reno, where the bubbles were free-flowing!
Sherii Paparich-Hess says for her, bubbles were life-changing. She was attending her first class with her young daughter, when the magic happened. “Just seeing the look on her face that first time, I literally got tears in my eyes - in our first Gymboree class, I thought this is something I have to be a part of!”
So, she made it happen. Paparich-Hess took over the franchise in Reno and has been teaching classes to generations for the past 20 years. She is just as enthusiastic today as she was on day one!
Sherii says everything that happens during these interactive play and music classes is research-based. "We're helping children get those crucial early developments skills needed, to build a foundation for their future learning.” Physical skills like running and climbing, to emotional ones like tackling a slippery slide, kids.
Miss Sherii says play is serious business. "Most people don’t know, 90% of the brain is developed by age five.”
Paparich-Hess says the grown-ups tell her they get something crucial out of it, too. “It's what they looked forward to all week, it was the biggest day of their week with a newborn baby at home and they didn't have any mom friends.”
So, for herself and her families, Paparich-Hess has persisted through 20 years of challenges. “The recession was a very scary time, I didn't know if we were gonna make it. I had to let a lot of staff go.”
Then, the pandemic brought shutdowns and a fear inducing-virus.
"I actually joke with my sisters that I've been training for this my whole lifetime!” Sherii is serious about fighting germs and makes sure the play room gets sanitized between every class - it always has. Now temps get checked at check in, and classes are just 75% capacity. “We just rather everyone feels extra safe and not overwhelmed.”
Because, says Miss Sherri, she's here for the long haul -
"I will keep doing this as long I am possibly able because I still love it so much!”
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Any parent, grandparent or guardian can take kids to classes.
If you’d like check out Gymboree for yourself, this Saturday August 13th (2022), they're offering special pricing for National Day of Play. Click link, here https://www.gymboreeclasses.com/en/locations/NV/Reno/?utm_source=Google+My+Business&utm_medium=website+link&utm_campaign=Reno&utm_content=website+button
Gymboree Play & Music
3987 S. McCarran, Reno, NV 89502
(775) 852-4386
